Professor Layton and the Devil Child
by Inkworks
Summary: Professor Layton has received a request from an old friend - to investigate a mysterious white specter that has been sighted wandering the streets of a town known as Old Ashton. He and his companions gather themselves and head over to investigate this puzzle. Will Professor Layton be able to solve this puzzle? And what does his new assistant have to do with it?
1. Chapter One - The Mysterious Assistant

**Ink's Notes:** HELLO EVERYONE, Ink here with a new story for you all! I noticed a disturbing lack of crossovers between Professor Layton and One Piece, so _I'm going to fix that now!_ In all seriousness, they're two of my favorite series and I really wanted a crossover between them so I just made one myself _OH WELL WHAT WILL BE WILL BE_

I sorta have writers' block for my other stuff, but this one the ideas just keep coming, so let's see how we do with this!

This story takes place **after the Diabolical Box incident and after the Fishman Island arc**. As such, Layton's posse is Layton, Luke and Flora, and the One Piece characters who will be showing up are all post-timeskip. The characters may also reference events from events prior to that in passing, but I'll try not to make it essential knowledge (and explain any reasoning behind actions that they take because of those events if I _do_ reference them as being the reason for that) in case people aren't familiar with one of the two series I'm working with here. Of course, if you're not, I hope that you check out the one you don't know because they're great and I love them and they're two of my favorites and - wait I said that already. READ THE ONE PEICE MANGA, PLAY THE PROFESSOR LAYTON GAMES (also there's a movie you should watch too), DO IT NOW

...arhem. Anyway. I don't own One Piece and anything related, nor do I own Professor Layton and anything related. I do, however, own the town of Old Ashton and all that's related to _that._ Yes, that means OCs are in this. They're kinda essential to the story. Now, without further ado, let's begin!

Chapter One – The Mysterious Assistant

Luke Triton kicked his pace up to a light jog as he moved through the hall, past the university students moving about between their classes on his way to the Professor's office. Life had been calm since the incident with the 'Diabolical Box', as Luke had dubbed it, so he was looking forward to spending the day with the Professor and learning more about how to be a proper English gentleman. As he neared the office, he noticed that Flora was leaning against the wall outside, humming as she looked around at the decorations on the walls and doors nearby.

"Flora!" Luke greeted as he slowed his pace to a stop at her side. She turned to look at him with a smile. "What are you doing waiting outside?"

"I'm waiting for the Professor to finish talking with his new assistant," Flora explained. "She seems like a really nice person, but they wanted to talk alone for a little while."

"The Professor has a new assistant?" Luke asked, blinking in shock. The last assistant that the Professor had was Emmy, and he didn't think that the Professor would be willing to replace her so easily, so maybe she had decided to come back. Still, there was a chance that it wasn't her, so he decided to hold off on being excited until he was sure.

"That's right," Flora informed him. "Apparently, the dean of the school wanted to lighten his workload a little bit, and to have someone here in case he went off on an adventure again."

"…I suppose that's reasonable," Luke laughed nervously. They _did_ have a little bit of a tendency to do that. The incident with the Diabolical Box had been his sixth adventure with the Professor, after all…

A light tapping on the door brought both of them to their senses, and Luke and Flora simultaneously turned towards the sound. It was followed shortly by the sound of an older woman's voice, speaking at a calm and level tone that Luke had the inclination to believe wasn't entirely natural. "We're done discussing, Flora. You can bring your friend inside." The voice sounded friendly enough, though, and Flora made no hesitation in opening the door to enter the office, followed shortly after by Luke himself.

Luke looked around the office as he entered. While everything was in roughly the same position, he noticed that the office was a lot cleaner than it usually was, and everything had been packed away and organized. The Professor was seated on the chair that was usually at his desk, but had turned it around so that he could sit at the coffee table, where four cups of tea had been set out. Luke found this to be odd, since the couch was currently empty, but his unasked question was answered when he heard the door close, and Flora moved over to the couch, followed by a woman Luke had never seen before.

She was elegant, that much Luke could tell just by looking at her. She carried herself gently and formally, in a manner that caused him to start relaxing. The woman dressed rather modestly, in clothing that was a size or two too big for her to compensate for her ample bust, and she had long, black hair that must have reached about halfway down her back. A pair of sunglasses was resting gently on top of her head, helping keep her hair out of her face, and he noticed through the movements of her brown eyes that she was studying him with as much interest as he was studying her.

Luke realized that he'd been staring for a little while and promptly adjusted his stance, standing as tall as he could and bowing to the woman before straightening himself out. "My name is Luke Triton, gentleman in training and Professor Layton's apprentice," he introduced himself, and it was only when the woman started laughing gently that he relaxed and let his stance loosen.

"Aren't you cute?" the woman smiled at him, lifting a hand and brushing a few stray bangs off of her face. Luke sputtered for a few moments at the compliment, and amusement seemed to sparkle in the woman's eyes. "My name is Robin Nico. Professor Layton's new assistant and, when he is unavailable, Flora's caretaker."

"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Robin," Luke greeted with a smile. "If you don't mind my asking, what is it that you'll be helping the Professor with?"

"I don't mind at all, Luke," Robin gently smiled at him, and he felt as if he were being praised somehow. "I'm helping the Professor with organization, a little bit of cleaning, offering someone to bounce theories and ideas off of, and helping him grade his student's papers. After all, I am an archaeologist myself," she explained.

"It is quite nice to have someone to speak about archaeology with," the Professor spoke up, picking up one of the cups and taking a small sip. "Robin's knowledge of the practice of archaeology is quite outstanding, as are her manners."

Luke took this as a cue to have a seat, but no sooner than he did so, his attention was broken by the sound of knocking on the door. He looked to the door, then to the Professor, who shook his head to indicate that he wasn't expecting any further visitors. Before Luke could get up to go and see who it was, Robin got to her feet, moving quickly and – astonishingly, despite the fact that she was wearing high heels – quietly over to the sound, gently opening the door and allowing the one standing outside to enter the room.

Their mysterious visitor was none other than Dean Delmona, who cleared his throat before greeting each occupant of the room accordingly, then turning his full attention to Robin. "How are you settling in, Ms. Nico?"

"Quite well, thank you," the woman smiled calmly at the dean, and Luke noticed in passing that the smile had not left her face once during the entire time that he'd been observing her. "Was there something that you needed?"

"Ah, yes," Dean rummaged into his jacket pockets, producing a letter that was shortly handed to Robin. "This is for Professor Layton. It came in just a few minutes ago, but you'd stopped in to pick up his mail already, so I thought I'd make sure that it got to him personally."

Robin examined the letter calmly, her smile thinning into a calculative gaze but still present. The moment her eyes left the envelope, the calm smile had returned as if it had never left. "Thank you very much," she inclined her head slightly in a nod. "I'll see you later, then?"

"Oh- well, yes, of course!" he jumped slightly, and Luke couldn't help but notice that the Professor was smiling in that way that he did when he was interested in something. Dean quickly bowed and left the way he came, Robin closing the door after him and returning to her place on the couch.

"You're rather good at politely telling people to leave an area," the Professor observed, and Robin turned her gaze to him with a gentle smile that seemed to say she knew but didn't particularly care to elaborate how she did. "Now, I believe you have something for me?"

"I believe that I do," Robin replied in a gentle and airy manner, taking a moment to have a sip of tea before calmly opening the envelope and taking out the letter within. Using slow and methodical movements, she unfolded the paper, taking a moment to smooth the creases from were it had been folded, before turning the paper so that she could read the words aloud. A hand was gently removed from the paper so that she could bring it to her mouth clear her throat, and once she had done so it moved back to the letter, a finger sitting atop the words and running along them as she read them aloud.

 _"To My Dearest Professor Hershel Layton,"_ Robin began, and both Luke and Flora were immediately focused on her, wondering who would address the man as such. The Professor, on the other hand, seemed to immediately know who it was, if the mute sigh he let out was any indication. _"It has been quite some time since we last spoke, and there is no one to blame for that but myself. It feels like so very many years ago that we were in school together, and though I miss the days when we were but a few desks away from one another, I am quite enjoying my time in the gentle town of Old Ashton."_

"Old Ashton?" Luke cut in. "That town is a few hours away from here by car, isn't it?" he asked, and Layton nodded to confirm his inquiry.

After making sure that no one else intended to interrupt her, Robin began reading aloud again. _"As much as I wish I were writing in the simple hopes of catching up on times gone by and reestablishing contact with an old friend, I am afraid that's not the case. Old Ashton is in a state of unease. Several residents have found themselves afraid for their lives due to the odd sightings of what appears to be a…"_ Robin paused and squinted at the paper, lifting it a few inches off of her lap and squinting to the point that her brows furrowed. _"…White specter wandering the streets?"_ The sentence was spoken with audible confusion, and Robin's expression relaxed, though she appeared to be deep in thought. She took a moment before continuing to read off of the page. _"No one has quite managed to get a decent look at this creature, but the people are uneasy and afraid, and so I turn to you for assistance. My methods have not yet discerned anything, and my current occupation prevents me from doing any further investigation that might lead to finding some answers. However, I believe with your assistance, this specter would be found quickly and the people's minds would be at ease."_

"What does he mean by current occupation?" Flora put in, and Luke offered a shrug then motioned for her to wait until Robin was finished.

 _"Due to the specter's presence in Old Ashton, as well as a few other… incidents that have the citizens on edge, I have been forced to close the gates to the town, but there is a password that the gatekeepers use to allow friends of the town or residents whom have been away to return. Of course, knowing you, you wouldn't be satisfied if I simply told you the password, so I have enclosed it on another piece of paper in the form of a puzzle."_ Luke and Layton both smiled at the word, and Robin gave them a curious gaze before finishing off the letter. _"I look forward to seeing you again after so many years apart. Yours truly and forever, Mayor of Old Ashton, Doctor S.K.C."_

"Doctor S.K.C.?" Luke wondered as Robin produced the paper that the puzzle with the password was written upon.

"That's right, Luke," the Professor informed him with a smile. "He's a general surgeon who minored in archaeology. He signs his letters in that manner, largely to throw off anyone who might intercept them. He's a rather curious man."

"This must be the puzzle he was speaking of," Robin noted as she scanned over the paper. "It's a rather easy one. Does he really expect to keep people out with this?"

Layton seemed curious about the contents of the puzzle, but before he could ask for the paper, Flora took it out of Robin's hands. "May I try solving it, Robin?" she asked.

Robin gently smiled at Flora. "Certainly," she responded, and the girl set to reading over the paper carefully so that she wouldn't miss any crucial hints.

 ** _PUZZLE ONE_**

 _A plane is traveling North from the United States of America towards Canada. Many of its passengers are those who are either visiting family up North, or whom have just finished visiting family down South. During the flight, an unfortunate accident occurs upon which two of the engines malfunction, sending the plane towards the ground, where it crash lands – perhaps miraculously – right on the border of the USA and Canada. The pilot, then the crew, then the passengers, all stumble out equally bewildered about how this occurred, before a question dawns on them- "Where do we bury the survivors?"_

Flora squinted carefully at the words. "Now, let me think…" She brought her hand to her mouth in consideration, then snapped her fingers and pointed upwards. "I've got it!"

"May I have it next?" Luke asked politely, not forgetting his manners.

Flora stared at Luke, looking at the paper in her hands and then at the boy and her foster father. She then turned to Robin for support, and the woman gently pat her head in understanding. "I don't believe she'll be willing to give it to either of you so easily," Robin answered for Flora with a mysterious smile. "After all, she was telling me not long ago about how the two of you tried to leave her behind on your last adventure, the one with the Diabolical Box, as you called it," she explained. Luke fidgeted awkwardly in his seat, embarrassed, while Professor Layton adjusted his hat, avoiding eye contact with the woman. "That is our ticket to traveling with you, so you don't try to leave us behind," Robin smiled in an unusual way. It didn't look all that different than her normal smile, but there was something about the way that she directed the words at them that made the two involuntarily shiver. Flora passed the puzzle back to Robin, and she gently folded it more tightly than it had been before and tucked it gently into the front of her shirt, so that the paper was secure and snug between her breasts.

Luke sputtered a little bit while Layton looked away with what could best be described as an awkward blush. "Wh-Why did you put it _there?!_ " Luke half-demanded, half-asked out of sheer bewilderment.

"Security," Robin answered with a serene smile. "So no one tries to take it."

Luke had to concede that she had a point – a gentleman like the Professor and a gentleman in training like himself would never stoop so low as to try and take something from that particular area. Not that they would ever stoop so low as to try and take something _period_ , but that area in particular was especially off limits.

Robin folded the letter from Doctor S.K.C. gently and moved over to where Professor Layton's briefcase was, tucking it into one of the pockets of the briefcase before moving around the office and putting a few other things inside of it, then closing it and carrying it over to the door. "I believe you know how to get to this 'Old Ashton', Professor?" she asked with a smile as she gently opened it for the other three to walk outside. Flora got to her feet, followed shortly by Luke, and the two left the room to head for the Laytonmobile.

Professor Layton stood up as well, walking to the doorway, but stopped when he was standing by Robin and smiled at her. "I don't mind the two of you coming along, but don't let her out of your sight. The last time we had her with us, she was replaced by a peculiar master of disguise who seems to have something against me for some reason."

Robin lifted her hand to her mouth in a light chuckle. "Perhaps you've done something to wrong him in the past?"

Professor Layton stared blankly at her. "If I did, I certainly don't recall what it was…" He shook his head and walked out the door, followed by Robin, who made sure she had the keys to the office, then closed and locked the door after herself. Before long, she had reached where the Professor was waiting by the little red car that had been affectionately dubbed the Laytonmobile, and he opened the door so that she could sit in the passenger seat while Luke and Flora climbed into the back.

The trip to Old Ashton was largely uneventful, and after a few hours of travel the car was stopped at the front gate, which was locked. True to this Doctor S.K.C.'s word, there was a gatekeeper on duty- a large, burly man who was wearing a brown jacket, a tan turtleneck that seemed to be a size too big for him, long black pants and black formal shoes. He had dark red hair that almost looked pink, and eyes of the same color.

"Evenin', sir," the man spoke gruffly, and Luke thought he might describe the man as being like a bear if he didn't think it would offend him. "Hate t'stop ya when y'got a couple o' ladies an' a kid in the car with ya, but I'm gonna need a password from ya b'fore ya can go in," he explained.

Robin leaned forwards in such a way that her breasts bounced slightly and smiled at the man. "Might I ask your name, sir?" she inquired in a sleek and sexy tone.

The man adjusted his turtleneck awkwardly. "Erhm. I don' think that's important, ma'am," he looked away to avoid her gaze, "But- if ya specifically insist, ma'am, m'name's Harris," he introduced himself. He cleared his throat. "I- hrrm. Need the password, though."

Flora pulled herself up between the two front seats. "I've got the password, Mister Harris," she smiled widely at him, then pointed at him in a manner that Professor Layton was particularly fond of doing. "You don't bury survivors!"

Harris stared at the girl who'd just blurted out the phrase, and Luke was worried that she'd gotten the answer wrong. However, Robin's smile, plus the fact that Harris' own face was softening into one, seemed to indicate otherwise. "Ah, y'must be th'Mayor's friends," he nodded, and Layton and Robin both simultaneously realized that each person probably got a different password for entry. "A'right then, lemme jus' unlock th'gate fer ya, and y'can come on in." Harris smiled at them and moved over to the gate, which he easily unlocked and slid open for them. He lifted his hand in a wave as he motioned for them to go on through, and Flora and Luke both returned it as the Professor drove the Laytonmobile on through the gates.

"So what now, Professor?" Luke asked once they were inside of the town.

"I believe we should find a place to stay for while we're visiting, and then go and visit the Mayor," the Professor smiled at him. "I've no doubt our friend Harris will inform him of our arrival once he's closed the gate again."

Luke smiled at the Professor as he settled back into his seat, and the little red car trudged onwards towards its destination.

* * *

 **PUZZLES SOLVED – ONE**

 **CURRENT MYSTERIES:**

 **The White Specter –** Several residents of Old Ashton have reportedly seen a mysterious white specter. No one knows anything else about it.


	2. Chapter Two - Mayor of Old Ashton

**Ink's Notes:** Hi guys, time to update this! Sorry for the delay, I've had people visiting and I was working on a thing before that for another thing (really, it has nothing to do with this, but it took up a lot of time, so), but I had time, and time was had, and this got written for an update to do the thing!

...language is failing me, let's just post the chapter.

Chapter Two – Mayor of Old Ashton, Doctor S.K.C.

The Laytonmobile pulled up at a small inn with no issue, and the car was unloaded of its passengers and their belongings, all of whom calmly filed into the inn's lobby. Luke paused before he entered, thinking that he'd seen something brown and furry trot past into an alleyway, but someone tugged the back of his shirt and he quickly picked up his pace to follow after them. He vaguely noticed that no one was close enough to have tugged his shirt, but filed away the information for later when Robin waved him over.

"What's going on, Professor, Robin, Flora?" he asked the other three, and Robin passed him what appeared to be a sliding block puzzle.

"The innkeeper, Miss Floriana, was rather amused that her name is similar to our dear Flora's own, and so she offered us this to help us pass the time until she's sorted out the situation with the room key," Robin explained.

Luke paused before he started working on the puzzle to examine the innkeeper. She appeared to be an older woman, though likely no older than sixty, with short dirty blonde hair and blue eyes, dressed in a long black dress with a magenta sash wrapped around her waist. She had an odd gaze that Luke was tempted to call a lonely one, but he didn't get much further than that when he remembered he had a puzzle in his hands. Not one to turn down a chance at solving a puzzle, he set to work on it right away, reading some instructions that were etched into the top of the puzzle to explain what the puzzle was meant to look like when he was finished with it.

 ** _PUZZLE TWO  
_** _A simple eight-piece sliding block puzzle on a three by three grid. One of the pieces has a picture of a red car on it, and another has a yellow gate on it. Simply slide around the pieces until the red car is facing the yellow gate, with the empty slot between them._

It didn't take Luke that long to finish the puzzle. "All right, it seems like…" he pointed outwards. "Your puzzle has been solved!" With those words and a grin, he handed the block puzzle back to Floriana, who accepted it with a gentle smile. "That's just a taste of how the Professor's apprentice solves puzzles, ma'am!"

"Professor?" the innkeeper wondered, turning to look at Professor Layton. "You're the mayor's friends, then?" Her expression shifted subtly, and both Layton and Robin noticed how the woman's face changed. She almost seemed to be somewhat more welcoming and friendly than she did before. "You should have said so, I could have prepared something…"

"No need to worry, ma'am," Layton assured the woman, lifting his hands to be as nonthreatening and gentle as possible. "We're simply checking in before we go and visit the mayor. Although, have you got any recommendations for places we can visit or get some food while we're in town?"

"If you want good food, you should stop by Silonus'," Floriana recommended. "The owner, Silo, is a friend of mine, though we're all friends here in Old Ashton…" The woman seemed a little embarrassed by the admission, but continued to speak anyway. "He'll be happy to help you if he hears you're friends with our mayor."

"Doctor S.K.C. is rather popular amongst the populace, isn't he?" Robin observed, and the woman nodded in response. "Is there any reason why?"

"The Doctor came to Old Ashton upon hearing that there was a sick girl here who our village doctors were having no luck with curing," she explained. "Not only was he able to cure her, but he decided to stay here and become a doctor for the village, bringing his wife and daughter along with him."

Professor Layton's expression changed to one of confusion for just a moment, which didn't go unnoticed by Robin. "The Doctor has a daughter?" she asked for him, quickly and seamlessly covering up the reason for asking the question by adding, "Perhaps we can introduce her to Luke and Flora while we're here."

Floriana nodded in response. "I'm sure that the Doctor would appreciate it," she offered a smile, though it seemed somewhat forced – not for distaste at the people before her, but simply for the fact that she didn't really smile that often. She produced two room keys - one for Professor Layton, and one for Robin - then informed them which room they would be staying in for the duration of their time here.

Once the four had deposited anything they wouldn't need in their room at the inn, they headed outside to ask someone for directions to the mayor's house, Robin carrying the Professor's briefcase. No sooner than they walked out the door did they spot a dark-skinned woman with light brown hair and eyes to match, dressed in a long sleeved navy blue shirt with bright pink fabric on the ends, boots and a skirt that matched the pink and stockings that matched the shirt. A light brown handbag had been slung across her shoulder and was resting under her arm, and she was smiling widely at them.

"Yo!" the bouncy woman – and there was really no other way to describe this woman _besides_ bouncy, as everything she did was with a jump in her step – greeted the four of them.

"Hello, miss," Flora smiled and respectfully curtsied. Not to be outdone, Luke gave a short bow to her. "We're trying to reach Doctor S.K.C.'s place of residence. Do you know the way?"

"You wanna get to the mayor's place, huh? Well, have _I_ got the thing for _you!_ " she grinned, reaching into her handbag and rummaging around inside of it.

"You seem awfully excited, miss…" Layton motioned for the woman to give her name.

"Aimelia, but Aimi is fine by me, Mr. Hat Man!" she grinned, snapping her fingers with a wink before resuming her search through the bag. After a moment, her bouncy nature melted away and comically large tears welled up in her eyes.

"…Miss Aimi?" Robin asked, when it was apparent that Layton wasn't going to respond on account of still getting over being called 'Mr. Hat Man'. "Is something the matter?"

Aimi slowly turned her head to face the four, and Luke was inclined to call her cartoonish with the way that her eyes had welled up with tears and she was sniffling like she'd just made a huge mistake in something very important. Slowly but surely, she produced a map that had a few holes in it, followed by some scraps of paper that looked like they might fit into the holes – not perfectly, but well enough to restore it. "I- I must have accidentally broken the map. I'm sorry…" she sniffled, looking as if the entire world was ending around her.

Layton took the broken map and the small paper pieces from her, examining them for a moment before he passed them off to Luke and Flora. "No need to worry, miss. Luke and Flora will have the map fixed before you know it."

"R-Really?" Aimi asked, slowly wiping away her tears.

"Don't worry about a thing, miss Aimi!" Luke grinned. "Flora and I will piece this right back together for you!" They set it down on the ground between them and got on their hands and knees to get a better look at it.

 ** _PUZZLE THREE  
_** _Oh no! Aimi has accidentally torn her map in a few crucial places! Fortunately, the pieces that were torn out by accident can be replaced fairly easily with a little bit of tape. However, you'll need to figure out which piece goes where, since Aimi's not the type to memorize maps._

While Luke and Flora worked on putting the map back together using some tape that Robin provided for them, Layton and Robin took the time to chat to Aimi to see if they could learn anything about what was going on in Old Ashton.

"The Doctor has called us here to investigate this 'white specter' that people have been worried about," Professor Layton informed Aimi, who nodded along in a way that said she was listening but didn't really understand what he was saying. "Do you happen to know anything about it, or any other odd things that might be happening here in Old Ashton?"

Aimi thought for a few moments. "Well, I haven't seen this white scepter that you're talking about," Layton refrained from correcting her but Robin could tell that he wanted to. "But there has been some other weird stuff going on in town. Like…" she considered how to phrase it, before clapping her hands together. "Slavvy and Kiya have been complaining that food's been going missing from their shop, just the stuff that's about to go off but it's still going missing, so they're wondering if there's a thief or something," Aimi nodded sagely, crossing her arms. "And some people have been hearing this singing stuff at night, but no one really knows where it's coming from since it seems to echo around the buildings and stuff…" A little more consideration before she uncrossed her arms, then hit her open palm with her fist. "Oh! And Tam and Felix have been saying stuff's been going missing from the hospital and general stores, too. Is that it? I think that's it," she folded her arms again, satisfied with what she'd given them.

Before Layton and Robin could ponder this development, Luke piped up. "Got it!" he grinned widely. "Professor, miss Aimi, we put it back together!" As he said so, Flora held up the map, which had been taped back together, and passed the tape back to Robin, who returned it to the Professor's briefcase. "We can get to the Doctor's house now, right?"

"That's right, Luke," Layton smiled, taking the map from Flora, studying it for a moment before offering it to Aimi.

"Oh- no, no, that's for you!" Aimi grinned. "Actually, I was told to give that to you so you guys could get around town more easily." She slumped over. "But then it broke…"

"Don't worry about it!" Luke smiled at her. "We got to solve a puzzle, so that makes it okay, miss Aimi!"

Aimi perked right back up again. "Really? You really mean it?" Luke nodded. "Oh, yay! Thank you~!" She picked the boy up and hugged him tightly with a deceptively high amount of strength for someone of her stature, then let him drop right back down to the ground. "See you guys around!" With that, she took off at a jog, and before long was out of sight.

"…That was… sudden," Layton stated, very clearly not wanting to use any other words to describe Aimi's behavior.

"I would have liked to ask her more about those other happenings in the town," Robin admitted. "I suppose we can find her later, or ask someone else. Perhaps the mayor knows more."

"Agreed," Layton smiled as he looked over the map again. "Shall we make our way to the Mayor's house?"

Luke, Flora and Robin agreed, and the four began following the map to reach Doctor S.K.C.'s house, periodically taking note of landmarks so that they wouldn't get lost when navigating the streets in the future. As they did so, Luke paused as he saw something, turning to look at what it was. He saw a mass of brown fur dash into an alley, and before he knew it he found himself chasing after it.

"Luke-!" Layton called and made to chase him, but Robin blocked his path with her hand.

"You go meet the mayor with Flora. I'll go after him," Robin reassured him, then took off at a run after the boy, moving with surprising ease for a woman wearing high heels.

Layton hesitated, then looked down at Flora and put a hand on her shoulder. The girl looked as if she desperately wanted to go after the both of them, but Layton's hand on her shoulder was keeping her there. "Don't worry. Robin will keep him safe," he smiled at her, and she looked up at him in confusion. "I'm not quite sure how yet, but Robin has experience keeping an eye on children. She noticed even before I did that he'd run off, and anticipated that I might cause confusion by going after him. It'd be better if the two of us stick together and head to the mayor's house. Besides, Luke can always ask some animals to lead him and Robin there."

Flora looked uncertain, but trusted her foster father's judgment. Still, she gripped his hand tightly as they made their way towards the mayor's house, following the map that they'd been given.

It took the two of them another five minutes to reach the place that the map was telling them was the mayor's house, but much to Flora's confusion, the house didn't look all that much different than any of the other houses in the area. It was a quaint little cottage with a small barn off to the side, and Flora thought that Luke might like to meet whatever animal or animals lived inside of it. As the two got close to the house, the smell of baking cookies filled the air, and Flora began gravitating closer towards it, only being stopped by Layton steering her back on track towards the front door.

He lifted a hand and knocked three times. When there was no response, he repeated the action, only slightly more loudly than before. This time, his efforts were rewarded by a female voice calling out from somewhere inside. "Coming~!" it almost sang, and no more than a minute later, the door opened to let them in. Standing in the doorway was a woman who carried herself with a casual air, yet was rather elegant in her actions and movements. Her hair was a gentle strawberry blonde color and her eyes were green, contrasting completely with the long purple dress and tan sandals she wore and the red apron with the words _KISS FOR COOKIE_ printed on it. "Ah! You two must be my husband's friends. Although I was under the impression that your apprentice was a boy…" The woman almost looked a little bit disappointed at Flora being a girl.

"You must be thinking of Luke," Layton informed her. "He saw something that caught his eye and went to investigate it with my assistant. This is Flora, my adoptive daughter," he introduced the girl, who gently curtsied in response.

There was an odd gleam in the woman's eyes as Layton explained the situation. "Oh, is that how it is~?" she hummed. "I see, I see!" She laughed in a way that a noblewoman might, before motioning for the two of them to come in. "Well, come in, come in! My husband's just stepped out for a moment to pick up some groceries with Colt, but he'll be back in a few minutes most likely, don't be shy! I have cookies in the oven, you're free to help yourself once they come out, sit down, sit down!" Layton and Flora were ushered inside as the woman closed the door and guided them over to the living room, where she sat them down on the couch and returned back to the kitchen. Layton and Flora were both left sitting in stunned silence, feeling oddly out of their element and as if they'd missed a beat somewhere.

"…What just happened?" Flora asked after about half a minute, and for once Layton didn't have an answer for her.

The woman soon returned, carrying a tray of cookies, which were set down on the coffee table. "Go on, have one!" she smiled, and Layton and Flora both took a cookie, biting into it. Flora's expression lit up quite happily and she began munching away, while Layton nodded with a smile to indicate that he approved.

"These are delicious!" Flora smiled happily when she'd finished the first and was reaching for a second. "Can you teach me how to make these later?"

"Certainly! Actually, I was planning on teaching my daughter, so perhaps you and your friend can join the two of us," the doctor's wife smiled.

"I don't know how good an idea that is. Luke tends to eat an awful lot, so we might wind up with all of the cookie dough eaten before we can put anything in the oven," Flora explained, taking a bite out of her second cookie.

Before any responses could be made, the front door opened again, and Layton and Flora both turned to see who was there. A tall man with messy black hair and brown eyes dressed in a casual collared light blue tee shirt, black pants and black shoes walked in, carrying a few bags, followed by a _goat_ of all things who, Flora was astonished to notice, wiped his hooves on the welcome mat before entering, carrying another shopping bag in his mouth. The woman moved over to the goat, taking the bag from him and petting his head, before giving him a cookie, which he happily accepted.

"Layton!" the man happily greeted, outstretching his arms as if he might give the Professor a hug. "It's been years! How have you been?" He paused, remembering that he was carrying groceries, and Flora was inclined to believe that the only reason he _wasn't_ giving the Professor a hug was because his hands were otherwise occupied. He took a moment to pass the bags off to his wife, but not before greeting her with a kiss, and she took the bags to the kitchen for him. "I see you've already met my wife Aria."

"Not so much 'met' as 'got caught up in her excitement,'" Layton smiled in a friendly manner that indicated he meant no offense by the words. "It has been a long time, Senkou." He got to his feet and offered a hand to the man.

Senkou took his hand, but instead of shaking it, he brought it up and gently kissed it, and Flora would have missed how awkward the Professor's expression got from the action of affection if she hadn't been watching him at the time. "Er, I thought he was S.K.C.?" she asked, largely to get attention off of the Professor and onto herself.

"S.K.C. is more like an alias that I use," he smiled at her, crouching down and gently ruffling her hair. "My name is Senkou Canera. Sen – Kou – Canera. S-K-C." He noticed what she was holding in her hands. "I see that my wife has won you over with her baking?" Flora nodded mutely as she took another bite from it. "Aria is the best cook in Old Ashton, and I'm inclined to up the ante to saying that she might even be the best in Europe." He hummed in consideration. "You don't seem to be any older than seventeen… I believe that you'll get along with Pyrrhos, Indra, Alex and Michi," he smiled sweetly, patting her head and looking over at Layton. "Perhaps you can take her and your apprentice to meet them sometime? They don't often see kids from other places."

"They're children who live in Old Ashton, then?" Layton asked.

"Yup. Pyrrhos, Indra and Alex are all orphans, but Michi is my daughter. She's been a little bit distant as of late, like she's hiding something…" he shook his head. "Well, never mind. How about we spend some time catching up? I can fill you in on the details of what's happening in town when your apprentice gets back with your girlfriend."

Flora nearly choked on the cookie, and Layton suddenly looked a _lot_ more awkward than he had before. "…Robin is my assistant. There's nothing between us."

"Really? An attractive woman such as her and there's nothing between you two? Hmm, oh well. I suppose the love that you and I shared is not something that is so easily replaced."

At this point, the Professor was having to strain to keep a straight face, and Flora decided to try and change the topic. "So, um, the goat?" The animal had trotted over to the table where the cookies were and helped himself to another. Flora pet him on the head. "Er, why do you have a goat?"

"Ah, that's Colt," Senkou smiled at Flora in a very fatherly way. "Technically, he's my daughter's, but Aria and I help take care of him. He's a very intelligent animal."

Flora nodded in understanding as she continued to pet Colt, having finished her second cookie. "I think Luke might like him," she idly noted, and then frowned, wondering why Luke and Robin hadn't managed to find the house yet and where on earth the two had run off to.

* * *

 **PUZZLES SOLVED – THREE**

 **CURRENT MYSTERIES:**

 **The White Specter –** Several residents of Old Ashton have reportedly seen a mysterious white specter. No one knows anything else about it.

 **Missing Food** – According to Aimi, food that is about to go off has been going missing.

 **Missing Supplies** – According to Aimi, some supplies from the hospital and the general store have gone missing.

 **Robin Nico** – A woman with an air of mystery around herself who is working as the Professor's assistant. She has experience working with children and is very good at moving silently and quickly despite her footwear of choice being high heels.

 **Michi** – Mayor Senkou's daughter, whom he notes has been growing more distant lately, as if she's hiding something, although he's not sure what or why.


	3. Chapter Three - Sight, Smell, and Senses

**Ink's Notes:** [insert usual excuses about being sick/unmotivated/etc etc here; I'm as tired of it as anyone else would be ]

Anyway, we have someone joining us this chapter. Here's to their entry into the series!

Chapter Three – Sight, Smell, and Senses

Luke was by no means a slow runner, but he didn't expect that he'd be able to keep up with a large-sized animal running away from him. And yet, each time he rounded a corner that he'd seen the creature run down, he'd catch a faint glimpse of it turning a corner and heading down the next path. Vaguely, he acknowledged that there was someone close behind him, but Luke assumed that it was the Professor, who had realized something was up and was following after him. As he continued following after the creature, slowly catching up, he began making out more and more features – brown fur, long legs with hooves, and he thought he saw _antlers_ once or twice.

As Luke began to close the distance between himself and the animal, he began picking up on what it was saying. Much to his surprise, it was largely a mantra of _Hurry up, come on, this way, keep up!_ that he was hearing, and before long, the buildings thinned out and he arrived at a river, where the animal – which he could now clearly see was a _reindeer_ of all things – was standing and waiting for him. Once he came to a halt, the reindeer made sure it had his attention and turned its gaze to look up at a tree that was growing over the river. Hanging from one of the tree branches was a kid who looked to be about Luke's age, and he looked as if he were struggling to keep himself on it so that he wouldn't fall into the river below. The kid had ginger hair, brown eyes, and was dressed in a white shirt with a dark gray shirt that was unbuttoned over it, dark gray jeans and black sneakers.

No sooner than Luke had taken his appearance in, the kid lost his grip and went falling into the water, where he began sputtering and flailing his arms above the surface, apparently unable to swim. Luke reacted quickly, tossing his hat and bag to the person who'd been following him and just caught up. He dove into the water, swimming over to the kid and supporting him over his shoulder before swimming the both of them back onto shore. The kid began coughing, thumping his chest to make sure he hadn't swallowed any water, then turned to face Luke.

"Th-Thanks," he gasped out with a nod, taking off the dark gray shirt to wring it out. "I… really need to learn how to swim."

"Not a problem!" Luke smiled, wringing out part of his own shirt. "No gentleman would allow someone to drown in front of them!" Luke's hat and bag were offered to him, and he turned to take them back from who he thought was the Professor, but was surprised to see that it was actually Robin who had followed him, and was using her free hand to pet the reindeer on the head. "Robin? What are you doing here?"

Robin smiled gently at him. "I came to make sure you didn't get into trouble," she explained. "Layton and Flora went ahead to go and meet the mayor." Luke looked away awkwardly, somewhat ashamed that he'd caused them to split up like that. "No need to be upset, Luke," Robin put in, as if reading his thoughts. "If you hadn't run off, our friend here might have drowned and no one would have ever known." She turned to face the kid that Luke had rescued. "Speaking of which, why were you in that tree if you can't swim?"

The kid fidgeted around a bit, before using his thumb to point to himself proudly. "No obstacle is too insurmountable for the incredible _Pyrrhos_ , savior of all that is good and great!" he grinned widely. At the completely deadpan looks he was getting from Luke, Robin and the reindeer, he frowned. "…and, erm, I saw something in the tree." He reached into his pocket and produced what looked like a scalpel. The reindeer bristled slightly, and Luke turned to the deer in confusion before Robin took the object from Pyrrhos. "Sometimes crows take things from people and put them in trees, so I thought it might be something valuable."

"How noble of you… Pyrrhos, was it?" Robin checked to confirm, and the kid nodded. "Risking yourself for the sake of others is noble, but you should be careful not to do too much to hurt yourself."

"It wasn't _that_ much of a risk," Pyrrhos pouted, crossing his arms and looking away. "Pyrrhos' faithful steed was there to keep an eye on him." He turned to the reindeer with a grin. "Isn't that right, Horny?"

The reindeer slumped over at the name, and Luke picked up that he was muttering _That's not my name…_ in an utterly dejected tone, as if he had resigned himself to being called a stupid name like 'Horny' forever. Luke blinked, then approached and pet the reindeer – since Robin was doing so, it was unlikely that it was going to lash out at him.

The reindeer glanced at him in confusion, and he offered a smile. "You say that 'Horny' isn't your name?" he asked, and the reindeer turned his head to face him fully, shocked that he could understand what he was saying. Pyrrhos' mouth fell open, and even Robin was looking at him in confusion, so Luke adjusted his hat and smiled at them. "I can communicate with animals. It's a skill I've had for as long as I can remember."

"Oh? That's a very useful skill to have," Robin smiled at Luke, continuing to pet the reindeer, who looked very confused by the situation. "Well, would you mind asking this kind reindeer what his name is?"

Luke nodded. "Sure thing, Robin!" he smiled, turning to the reindeer in question. "Well? What _is_ your name, big guy?" he asked as he scratched behind the reindeer's ears, a gesture that the reindeer seemed to enjoy receiving.

The reindeer looked to Robin, almost as if he were seeking her approval, and Luke was tempted to ask why when he turned to look back at him to introduce himself. _My name is Tony Tony Chopper. My name was given to me by the world's greatest doctor!_ The deer proudly snorted and lifted his head high, and Luke blinked in confusion at the explanation before he nodded and turned to face the others again.

"He says his name is Tony Tony Chopper," he translated for them, and Robin smiled as she lowered her hand to scratch under the deer's mouth.

"Chopper, hmm?" she asked, and Luke wondered why she'd picked that name to use instead of one of the 'Tony's. "If it hadn't been for you, young Pyrrhos would have drowned. Thank you."

Chopper began doing some sort of weird wiggling motion that looked almost like he was dancing, despite that Luke was clearly reading his words as _I'm not happy that you're praising me, you jerk!_ Luke's face fell into a dumbfounded expression, and Robin brought a hand to her mouth and laughed gently. "Well, now that we've settled this matter, should we perhaps try and meet up with Professor Layton?" she asked.

Pyrrhos, who looked as if he had been trying to think of an excuse to leave at that moment, suddenly locked eyes with Robin. "You're with that Professor Doohickey guy?" he asked, and Luke looked almost offended that the Professor had been given a nickname like that. "Mister Mayor guy said that we should try and be nice to the Professor and his friends, since you all were gonna help us figure out what the dealieo with that specter was."

Luke blinked a few times, staring at Pyrrhos. "You know about the specter?" he asked, and Pyrrhos nodded in response, crossing his arms in some sort of attempt to look sagely. "Could you tell us more about it?"

"Humm, well, I don't really know much more than anyone else does," Pyrrhos admitted, looking away as if he were embarrassed by the fact.

"Don't worry about that," Robin smiled at him, crouching down so they were at an even height. "We've only just recently arrived in town, so anything you might know would be helpful."

Pyrrhos nodded in response, then cleared his throat. "Well, ah, let me think. It only really comes out between dusk and dawn, like, after the sun sets until the sun rises? It also tends to hang out in dark and dreary places that no one really goes to, like the graveyard and whatnot." He brought up his hands and began counting on his fingers, to help himself recall whatever facts he knew about the specter. "Um… I think two of our residents had an encounter with it? Nephele and Hanuel, they're called. They watch over the graveyard, and apparently it appears around there pretty often, but those two are really hard to get information out of, so I mean, if you want to talk to them you're free to try it but it might not amount to anything." Pyrrhos seemed to realize he'd been rambling, and muttered an apology before finishing off his list. "Oh! And it likes music."

"Music?" Luke asked, thinking that last bit seemed to be a little out of place.

"Uh-huh," Pyrrhos said with a short nod. "My friends and I heard singing one time on our way home so we tried to follow it, but got lost in doing so. We found some footprints that looked like they went to a really tall person, though. Maybe it's the specter?"

"That's quite a lot of information you've given us," Robin smiled at him. "Thank you. You've been an amazing help, Pyrrhos."

"Ah… thank you," Pyrrhos looked away with an awkward blush. "Well, um, we should be off, right- er, Chopper, was it? Come on, let's go!" Chopper visibly bristled up then shook his head, prompting Pyrrhos to blink a few times and stare at the reindeer in confusion. "What? You... don't want to go?"

Chopper shook his head again, then turned to Luke to pass a message to him. _I like the way Robin smells. I want to stay with her._ Chopper turned to Robin with pleading eyes, and she hummed in amusement as she pet the reindeer behind the ears.

"He says he likes Robin," Luke translated for Pyrrhos. "And so he wants to stay with her."

Pyrrhos blinked, then nodded slowly in understanding. "Oh, okay. I see." He scratched behind Chopper's ears. "It's been a fun run, but if you like her that much, you can stay with her." His eyes began to water, but he forced his tears back. "He's- really good at smelling things out, and he's super smart and he's always had my back a-and take care of him for me, please?" At this point, he wasn't able to stop the waterworks, and he buried his face into Chopper's chest. The deer responded by wrapping his head around Pyrrhos' back in some sort of approximation of a hug, gently nuzzling against the boy while he got the tears out of his system. Luke and Robin acknowledged the act but remained silent to allow them their moment, until Pyrrhos finally pulled his face out of Chopper's chest and wiped his eyes on his sleeve. He stared at Robin, looking like he was about to start crying again, then turned to Luke and offered a hand, which Luke shook.

Chopper turned to Luke to relay a message, and he nodded in response. "Chopper says that he knows your scent, and so he'll bring us to stop by and visit when we get a chance during our investigations," he informed Pyrrhos with a smile.

This seemed to brighten the boy's mood considerably, and he brought a smile onto his face before nodding enthusiastically. Pyrrhos turned and ran off along the river, assumedly heading home.

"My, what a cute little boy," Robin smiled, picking up the Professor's suitcase, which she had set off to the side during the entire encounter. "But perhaps we should go and meet up with the Professor now?"

She offered the suitcase to Chopper, who began sniffing at it, and Luke stared blankly at Robin's choice of actions. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Pyrrhos said that Chopper was good at smelling things out, right? So I was thinking Chopper could help us find the Professor by following his scent," Robin explained. Chopper nodded in response, then looked over at Luke.

"…You want us to ride on your back?" he asked at the unspoken message, then nodded as Chopper explained it would be faster to carry them that way. "Well, all right, but only if you're sure you can carry both of us…" With that, he climbed up onto the reindeer's back, followed by Robin who settled onto Chopper's back behind him. The reindeer lifted his nose to the air, then trotted off, following the scent that was the Professor's back the way they had came and towards the direction they assumed the Mayor's house was in.

 ** _PUZZLE FOUR  
_** _Help guide Chopper through the streets of Old Ashton towards the Mayor's house! He's not too familiar with the layout of the town, so all he has to work off of is the Professor's scent. Guide him left or right when the path branches to ensure that he arrives at the Mayor's house with no issues!_

Chopper wound up taking a few wrong turns, because they arrived at the area that Luke recognized as where they'd run into Aimi before managing to find the correct path, so all in all it took them perhaps ten minutes to reach the Mayor's house. Chopper was curious as to what sort of animal was in the barn, but Robin informed him that she heard the Professor's voice coming from inside the house, speaking with another older male voice, so it was likely that they had already met the mayor and were waiting on the two of them to arrive before going into any further details as to why the group was here. Robin slid off of Chopper's back then helped Luke off of the reindeer, before approaching the doorway and lifting her hand to knock three times.

The chatter in the house died down immediately, and before long footsteps were approaching the door. It was opened by Aria, who greeted them with a smile and motioned for them to come in. She wasn't surprised at all when Chopper wiped his hooves on the doormat and entered after Robin, but she paused at Luke, looking the boy up and down.

"Aren't you a cute little boy?" Aria cooed, and Luke looked up at her in confusion. "Do you happen to have a girlfriend? Because if not, my daughter would be-"

"Aria!" Senkou called from the living room. "Stop trying to hook our daughter up with random people!"

At his words, Luke's face went red, and Aria laughed while she moved back inside to sit next to Senkou. Robin backpedaled over to him and helpfully nudged him into the house, where she steered him over to sit by Flora. At this point, he had regained enough sense to see that Chopper was talking to a goat off to the side of the room, which, based on their conversation, he gathered lived here with the family.

"Luke," Professor Layton called him to get his attention, and he turned to look over at the Professor. "This is my old friend, Senkou Canera, and his wife, Aria Canera. Over there talking to your reindeer friend is their daughter's pet, Colt."

"Oh- Nice to meet you, sir!" Luke sat up as straight as he could. "My name is Luke Triton, the Professor's apprentice!"

Aria smiled at him again and he withdrew backwards, and Senkou sighed and shook his head. "Yes, as my darling Layton said," Luke wasn't sure whether the Professor's awkward expression or the fact that Aria's face hadn't changed at all was more surprising, "I am the mayor of Old Ashton, Senkou Canera, also known as Doctor S.K.C. This is my wife, Aria," he motioned to her, and she lifted a hand to wave. "Our daughter, Michi, has been keeping to herself lately, but I'm sure you'll meet her soon." He looked over at Chopper, who bristled and tried to hide behind Colt, which would have been a lot more effective if he weren't hiding only part of his face and leaving the rest of his body exposed, and if Chopper hadn't been a size or two larger than Colt was. "Is the reindeer why you two were delayed?"

"That's right," Robin smiled at Senkou, though there was something a little bit different about it compared to her usual smiles. "Chopper led us to where a young boy named Pyrrhos was about to fall into the river. Luke saved him from drowning and being washed away by the currents. My, if we hadn't been there, he might have been dead at the bottom of the river by now," she said, her smile a more amused one than it was before.

"R-Robin!" Flora yelped, withdrawing in on her seat. "Don't say such scary things!" Luke nodded in agreement, and even Chopper seemed afraid of the implication of her words.

"Well, we did arrive in time to rescue him, and in fact, he gave us some rather interesting information on the specter that you've asked us to find," Robin smiled at Senkou, glancing over at Layton to make sure he was paying attention.

"Oh?" the Professor asked, adjusting his hat as he turned his attention to Robin. "Would you mind telling us what he said?"

* * *

 **PUZZLES SOLVED – FOUR**

 **CURRENT MYSTERIES:**

 **The White Specter –** Several residents of Old Ashton have reportedly seen a mysterious white specter. It only comes out between dusk and dawn, and it seems to enjoy music. Pyrrhos reports that it has footprints, meaning that it might not be as ghostly as the residents first assumed, and it has apparently had an encounter with two residents of Old Ashton known as Nephele and Hanuel.

 **Missing Food** – According to Aimi, food that is about to go off has been going missing.

 **Missing Supplies** – According to Aimi, some supplies from the hospital and the general store have gone missing.

 **Robin Nico** – A woman with an air of mystery around herself who is working as the Professor's assistant. She has experience working with children and is very good at moving silently and quickly despite her footwear of choice being high heels.

 **Michi** – Mayor Senkou's daughter, whom he notes has been growing more distant lately, as if she's hiding something, although he's not sure what or why.


	4. Chapter Four - Silonus And The Twins

**Ink's Notes:** YEP I GOT AN UPDATE FOR THIS STORY AFTER- ... LIKE NINE MONTHS? I THINK THAT'S RIGHT. SOUNDS RIGHT. LET'S GO.

(...if you want to know why I took so long - I've been very sick, motivation took a dive, writer's block hit hard, and writing is _hard_ anyway _**let's do this shindig!**_ )

Chapter Four – Silonus And The Twins

It was only the next morning that Layton, Luke, Flora, Robin, and Chopper set out to begin looking for clues. When they left Senkou's house after the sun had set, the Professor had at first suggested going to the graveyard to see if they could find the specter, but Robin had pointed out that the younger members of their group were worn out from the trip over and it would be more beneficial to look for things in the morning. Besides, that way, they could look into the missing supplies and food during the day, and check around about the specter at night.

The moment they set foot out of the inn, their plans had been completely and utterly derailed by Luke bringing up the fact that, in their haste to get some sleep, the last thing they'd eaten yesterday were Aria's cookies and he was _starving_. Layton and Flora exchanged knowing glances while Robin asked Chopper if he could lead them to any restaurants that happened to be in the area, and the reindeer (whose words were being translated by Luke) said that he knew a place that smelled nice. He led the group about two blocks down the street from the inn to a place called _Silonus',_ and Flora realized that it was the same place that Floriana had recommended to them the day before. As animals weren't allowed inside of the building, the group sat outside on the patio, with Chopper sitting on his hindquarters at the side of the table.

They'd barely had a chance to sit down and start looking over the menus _(which Layton was interested to note had braille as well as the English words)_ when they were approached by an odd looking man. He had ginger hair and a heavy scar over both of his eyes, which, based on how they were forced shut, indicated towards the fact that the man was blind. Luke and Flora silently thought that might explain his choice in wardrobe – his clothing was all mismatched and rather bright in coloration. A long and bright slate blue overcoat with a popped collar covered his top half, the inner fabric a bright blue as indicated by the upturned sleeves. He wore neon green gloves, and his bright yellow pants had upturned cuffs of the same color as his overcoat. Bright pink shoes with neon green soles complimented the purple hat with a green brim, and a white feather decorated the side of it.

Robin was about to open her mouth to say something to the man when he bumped into a chair that was in his path, nearly tripping over it but catching himself on it, spinning around and taking a seat in it with a smile as if he had meant to do that the entire time. Flora began to clap in appreciation, while Luke just sat there with a dumbfounded expression on his face. Robin brought her hand to her mouth in a laugh, and Layton adjusted his hat and smiled. "Hello, sir. Who might you be?" he asked.

The man, responding to Layton's voice, got to his feet and approached the table. "Hello, and welcome to Silonus'!" he greeted with a wide smile, resting a hand on the table itself so that he could lean on it. "I'm Silonus, but you can call me Silo. What can I get for you?"

"Some breakfast," Luke bluntly put in. "A helping of every breakfast food that you have." Silo turned his head towards Luke, tapping his hand on the table a few times as he did so. Robin had a feeling that he was using some form of echolocation to determine what he could about the group. "And I do mean _every_ breakfast food you have, don't hold anything back."

"I must say, I don't recognize your voices," Silo hummed thoughtfully. "Are you from out of town?"

"We are," Flora nodded resolutely. "We're here on Mr. Canera's request to investigate the specter, and we've also learned about some things that have been going missing lately."

"Is that so?" Silo asked. "Well, tell you what. How about I get you your breakfast, then you help me with something in exchange for me telling you what I know about those things that you're investigating?"

"That would be greatly appreciated," Robin gently nodded with a smile. "Have you got any salads or something similar for our reindeer friend?"

"Oh? Horny is here with you?" Silo asked, and Chopper all but fell over at the name. "I suppose that explains why he wasn't with Pyrrhos when the children came by for breakfast earlier this morning."

"…His name is Chopper," Luke said, and Silo chuckled in amusement. "Anyway, you should probably take the others' orders as well."

"The others' orders?" Silo tilted his head, his hat coming somewhat loose- an act which he evidently felt happen because he lifted his free hand up to push it back into place. "The order of one of each breakfast item isn't for all of you?"

"No, that's all for Luke," Layton explained. He noticed Robin and Chopper exchange an odd look, as if they knew someone similar, and filed the information away for later. "As far as what I'll have… let's see. What do you recommend?"

Breakfast had come and gone, and despite the sheer amount of food that Luke had eaten and his somewhat lacking table manners when going about it there was no reaction from either Robin or Chopper. At least, not the reaction that Layton was expecting – their reaction was less on the side of how he could eat so much and more on the side of keeping an eye on their food as if he were going to steal it. Not that Luke would, but it reinforced his earlier thought that the two knew someone who had similar habits with eating and wasn't as much of a gentleman as he and his apprentice were. Layton wondered if the two knew each other from a time before they'd met in Old Ashton, and if so how they did, but felt it would be rude to ask such things in the company of Silo, who had made himself comfortable at the table about three quarters of the way through their meal.

"You said you wanted our help with something, Silo?" Robin asked, gently tilting her head with a smile as she placed her cutlery on her plate to indicate she was finished eating.

"That's right, miss," he said, getting to his feet. "As you may have noticed, my current store layout has been causing some problems for me lately." Silo moved to step away, but his foot hooked onto the chair and he went tumbling backwards, managing to catch himself with his hands and flip up into a handstand, then turn his body in something of an impromptu cartwheel to get back onto his feet. Luke and Flora both applauded the display of skill, and Chopper looked as if there were stars in his eyes. "And while I don't mind a chance to show off, I have lost food on a few occasions…"

"You want us to help you rearrange the layout of the restaurant?" Robin asked for confirmation.

"That I do. Preferably in a manner that allows me to easily move from table to table with orders," Silo explained.

"All right," she smiled, getting to her feet and gently moving towards the restaurant, her footsteps not making a sound. "I'll see what I can do."

 ** _PUZZLE FIVE  
_** _Silonus has requested that his restaurant's layout be rearranged so that he can move from table to table without being hampered by chairs or clutter. Move the tables around so that he has a clear path from the kitchen to each table and the door so that he can deliver food to people sitting on the patio._

Robin hummed as she examined the layout of the restaurant, then brought a hand to her mouth in thought. "Well, then. That wasn't so hard after all," she smiled, pointing at the area before her and then turning to the group as she motioned outwards to the restaurant floor. "Silo, I've determined a good layout. Is there anyone who can help me move things accordingly?"

"Ah, there is," Silo responded with a smile. "The twins should be in the kitchen, if you don't mind going to get them?"

Layton was about to ask who the twins were when Robin disappeared into the kitchen, returning shortly afterwards with two tall men. True to Silo's word, they appeared to be twins, with matching black hair and green eyes. They even dressed in the same style of clothing, with a sleeveless shirt under an unbuttoned tee shirt, as well as long pants and dark boots to match. The one on the left seemed to prefer lighter colors, having dark gray pants and a light gray button up with a white undershirt, while the one on the right wore black pants and a dark gray button up with a light gray undershirt. Layton silently thought to himself that if it weren't for the contrast with the colors on their clothes and the subtle ways their hair differed, it might be impossible to tell them apart.

"Wow, they look so much alike!" Flora observed, and Layton took a moment to note that she had come inside with him while Luke and Chopper waited outside. Flora approached the two and greeted them with a smile, holding out her hand. "My name is Flora. What about you two?"

The twins looked between each other, then the one on the left began moving his hands and signing to Flora. Flora blinked in confusion, which became bewilderment as Robin turned to the two and began signing back at them. Their conversation seemed to last for a few minutes, upon which the two moved around the restaurant floor to move the tables to where Robin had apparently directed them to do so.

"You speak sign language?" Layton asked. It wasn't a skill that she had mentioned she had when they'd first introduced themselves to one another.

Robin turned to him with a smile. "It's a skill I've acquired over the years," she said, patting Flora on the head gently. "The one wearing the lighter colors said his name is Zdeslav, and the one wearing the darker colors said his name is Tzidkiyahu. We're free to call them 'Slav' and 'Kiya' if we'd like." She paused. "Did I pronounce that right?" she called to the two, and they took a moment to stop moving things to give her a thumbs up. With that confirmed, she turned to look at Layton again. "They work here in the kitchen with Silo, and sometimes help Felix out at the local store. We should probably stop by there later, if what Pyrrhos mentioned yesterday about things going missing is true."

Layton nodded and filed the information away for later, then turned to Silo. "While they arrange things, you mentioned you had some information for us?"

"That I do," he said, adjusting his hat somewhat. "I don't know how helpful it will be towards your investigation, but the mayor's daughter has been stopping by each night at closing to ask for food that we won't be using. I consulted Felix, and she's been doing the same at his store, although he's more hesitant to give things to her because it would hurt business."

"The mayor's daughter has been asking about food?" Layton asked.

Silo nodded. "Perhaps she's found a stray animal?" he suggested. "Not that I would be able to see such a thing, but I'd like to know what it is."

"Perhaps she's also connected to the food and supplies going missing, then?" Robin suggested as she moved over with the twins. Zdeslav tapped her shoulder to get her attention, and once he had it he signed a message to her, to which she nodded with a frown. "Although, Zdeslav says she's not the type who would steal anything, so unless she's particularly desperate for some reason that might not be the case."

Tzidkiyahu nodded, getting her attention then signing something to her. Robin's eyes widened for just a moment, an act that didn't go unnoticed by Layton, and she turned to look back at the group. "Tzidkiyahu said that they've done some investigation of their own, and found sandaled footprints in the area, as well as some bare footprints that don't match anyone they know," she explained.

"That seems like as good of a place to begin investigating as any," Layton smiled, adjusting his hat. "Should we head over and see what information this Felix has for us?" Without waiting for a response, Layton gathered his things and moved towards the door, Robin taking Flora's hand and walking them over to his position.

"Ah, one more thing," Silo spoke up before they could walk out the door. Layton turned to face him as Robin and Flora went ahead outside to fill Luke in on the information they'd gathered. "Would you happen to know anything about Bink's Brew?"

"Pardon me?" Layton asked. When Silo repeated the question, he frowned. "I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with it. Why do you ask?"

"Well, they say when you lose one sense you rely on your others, so I have crazy good hearing," Silo responded, "And sometimes when it's late at night I hear someone singing something like…" He cleared his throat, and sang in an awkward tone that indicated he wasn't quite used to singing. _"Gather up all the crew, time to ship out Bink's Brew…"_

Layton paused as he mentally reviewed some information from the previous day. "Where would you say this music is coming from?" he asked.

"Somewhere in that direction," Silo answered, pointing in the direction he was speaking about. He seemed to realize this wasn't a very helpful answer, so he turned his head towards where the twins were signing back and forth to one another. "Zdeslav, Tzidkiyahu, could one of you mark a map to show where the music I hear seems to be coming from?" Zdeslav nodded, moving over to where they were, and Layton took out the map that Aimi had given to him the day prior to allow him to mark it. He looked it over quietly as Silo thanked Zdeslav and the twins made their way back into the kitchen.

"Based on this, it appears that the singing you've heard is coming from the graveyard," Layton observed. "And from what Robin told me, Pyrrhos said that the specter likes music. Perhaps there's a connection."

Silo nodded, although Layton had a feeling that he didn't really understand a word of any of this. Layton simply smiled and thanked Silo for his help and the food, before walking out of the restaurant to rejoin the others.

"Did you have a nice conversation?" Robin asked with a mysterious smile as she stroked Chopper's fur.

Layton smiled back at his assistant. "I did. Shall we be on our way?"

* * *

 **PUZZLES SOLVED – FIVE**

 **CURRENT MYSTERIES:**

 **The White Specter –** Several residents of Old Ashton have reportedly seen a mysterious white specter. It only comes out between dusk and dawn, and it seems to enjoy music. Pyrrhos reports that it has footprints, meaning that it might not be as ghostly as the residents first assumed, and it has apparently had an encounter with two residents of Old Ashton known as Nephele and Hanuel. It seems to have an affinity for music.

 **Missing Food** – According to Aimi, food that is about to go off has been going missing. There may be some connection to Michi in regards to this, but the residents find it unlikely that she would steal anything.

 **Missing Supplies** – According to Aimi, some supplies from the hospital and the general store have gone missing. Zdeslav and Tzidkiyahu report that two sets of footprints – one sandaled and one barefoot – have been found in the vicinity of the store.

 **Robin Nico** – A woman with an air of mystery around herself who is working as the Professor's assistant. She has experience working with children and is very good at moving silently and quickly despite her footwear of choice being high heels. She also seems very comfortable around Chopper, to the point that they act as if they're close friends despite having just met.

 **Michi** – Mayor Senkou's daughter, whom he notes has been growing more distant lately, as if she's hiding something, although he's not sure what or why. Silo suspects an animal, as she's been requesting leftover food from him and Felix at the general store.


	5. Chapter Five - What's In Store With

**Ink's Notes:** HEY GUYS GUESS WHO DIDN'T TAKE NINE MONTHS TO UPDATE AGAIN? THAT'S RIGHT IT'S ME _HAVE A CHAPTER FIVE_

Chapter Five – What's In Store With Investigation?

Despite the streets being somewhat long and difficult to navigate, it wasn't long at all before the group arrived at their destination; in part due to their map, and in part because it was rather hard to miss the large sign that read _"Felix Fortel's Fantastic Emporium"_ , followed by _"For lack of a fancy word for Store that starts with F"_ in a smaller print. When Luke read the latter part out loud, Robin brought her hand to her mouth in a chuckle, and Flora seemed rather amused by the sign as well. Layton simply smiled and moved over to open the door, only to have it held open for him by a total stranger.

The two stared at each other a moment, almost as if they were taking in the other's appearance to determine what kind of person they were. The man holding the door looked a bit scruffy somehow, with his disheveled hair and baggy clothing, but despite that he looked like he took great care to keep himself clean and healthy. The clothing itself was very casual, amounting to nothing more than a sleeveless shirt and loose-fitting pants with sneakers, each a different brown in color. He also wore glasses that seemed a tad lopsided, and had blonde hair that almost looked _green_ if you stared at it long enough.

Dull colored eyes continued to stare at Layton, and Flora wondered if the staring contest would last much longer when Robin walked over, thanked the man for holding the door, and entered the shop. That appeared to be the icebreaker that the group needed, because Chopper followed shortly after her, Luke at his hooves asking if it was okay for him to be going in there, and Layton smiling at the stranger but waiting for Flora to follow the others before entering himself. The man moved in after them, closing the door, and it was only after he did that he offered his right hand to the Professor.

"Tamrat, before you ask," he said as Layton shook his hand. "I work at the hospital. Came here to exchange notes with Felix. Seens you're probably here investigating things, you might want to come along as well."

Layton smiled in response to the words. "Thank you for your kindness, Tamrat. I am Professor Hershel Layton, and these are my companions. My assistant Robin, my apprentice Luke, my daughter Flora, and-"

"I've met Horny already," Tamrat interrupted, and Chopper almost fell over again.

"His name is Chopper," Luke provided in response to Chopper's downtrodden expression. Tamrat simply nodded in acceptance with a muttered apology before motioning for the group to follow him.

As the six of them maneuvered through the aisles and rows of various items and objects – none of them seeming to particularly have any link to each other aside from general organization – Layton couldn't help but recall an old puzzle he'd done on one sleepy morning. He turned his gaze towards the others and cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Is something the matter, Professor?" Luke asked. Flora and Chopper both looked concerned, but Robin was looking at him with a knowing gaze while Tamrat only spared them a glance before continuing to lead them through the store.

"I was just thinking of an old puzzle I once did. Let's see, how did it go again…"

 ** _PUZZLE SIX  
_** _A trinket store has decided to rearrange its stock so that customers can find what they're looking for more easily. However, the owner's eccentricity means that the items have to be arranged in a very specific manner. The owner would prefer things to be arranged based on their coloration – so things that are similar colors are by each other, and things that are different colors are far apart. It's up to you to arrange the stock so that it meets these specifications to appease the owner's eccentric tastes._

"It was quite the fun puzzle," Layton smiled. "The trinkets had a gradient of color, so at first you might be inclined to believe that they should be arranged in one way, only to have a few of them not have any place to go when you were arranging them incorrectly."

"That sounds interesting!" Flora brought her hands together. "Will you show me when we get back home?"

"Certainly, Flora," Layton smiled at her, adjusting his hat slightly.

"If you guys are done talking about that…" Tamrat cut in, and the group turned their attention to him. While they'd been discussing the puzzle, they had arrived outside what looked like some sort of office. He waited until they were all attentive, before turning to knock on the door. "Felix? It's Tam. Got some guests here."

 _"Coming!"_ a male voice spoke from inside of the office. There was a noise that sounded like something had fallen over, followed by a _"Whoops,"_ followed by even _more_ things falling over, followed by a _"Big whoops."_

"Felix, do you need help in there?" Tamrat asked through the door, though based on his expression it wasn't a serious offer.

 _"No, no! I just knocked over my bookshelf! Again."_ Felix's attempts to reassure Tamrat just caused him to roll his eyes, and caused everyone _else_ to shoot looks at each other and mouth _'Again?'_ to one another.

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Robin called through the door, and it sounded as if something else had fallen over.

 _"Nope! Perfectly fine, I can manage, don't mind me!"_ A _thud_ and a muffled 'ow' came after that. _"Mostly fine!"_ Felix corrected himself, and then it sounded like someone had just walked into something. _"Basically fine!"_

Tamrat just let out a long sigh and leaned on the wall next to the door. "This'll go on for about ten minutes. Anything you wanted to ask me while we wait for him to get his act together?"

Flora looked from Tamrat to the door, and then back to Tamrat. "Um, is this… normal for him?" she asked, pointing awkwardly at the door as yet another _thud_ came from behind it.

"Yeah, Felix is sort of a klutz," Tamrat let out a long-suffering sigh. "I keep telling him that his eyesight is going and he needs glasses, but he refuses to listen, and so _this_ is the result. If you want to see him for some reason it's generally recommended that you stop by ten minutes earlier than you think you need to."

"Um, if you say so…" Flora didn't seem entirely certain that it was a good thing.

"So, you said you work at the hospital?" Luke asked, and Tamrat answered with a short nod. "Can you tell us about the missing medical supplies?"

Tamrat lifted his right arm in a half-shrug. "Probably could."

"Before that, might I ask about your left arm?" Robin cut in. "You haven't used it at all during the time we've been in your company."

"Noticed that, did you?" Tamrat's mouth lifted upwards in a wry smirk. "Yeah, I had an accident when I was younger. Haven't been able to use it properly since." He brought his left forearm up slightly, waggling his fingers with a wince. "I can still move it, and use it for like… cutting food and stuff, but for tactile things like medicine and whatnot I'm limited to my right arm. Theoretically I _could_ do them with my left, but that's too painful so I tend to just not bother."

Luke and Flora both winced out of sympathy, and Chopper bit his lower lip. Layton regarded Chopper with a curious look – it was an oddly human action coming from their reindeer comrade. Before he could think much about it, though, Robin spoke up again, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a scalpel.

"We met one of the children, Pyrrhos, when he was retrieving this from a tree. He mentioned that crows like to steal things. Is it at all possible that they're responsible for what's been going missing from the hospital supplies?"

Tamrat shook his head. "Afraid not. Firstly, that'd require them to be able to open doors and get into the hospital itself." Robin conceded that point as she passed the scalpel to Tamrat. "Secondly, this stuff is too specific for it to be random crow thefts."

"Specific how so?" Layton asked.

"Specific like the one taking the stuff knows exactly what they're going for," he elaborated. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say an absurdly talented doctor was responsible for the thefts. But that doesn't make sense; any doctor with that much talent would have access to the hospital and not need to steal things in the first place." Tamrat shook his head. "It's possible that it's just coincidence, but I know my medical supplies, and people don't just take those things by accident."

"I see," Robin nodded, considering his words with a calm smile. "We'll have to take that into account. Perhaps the specter is more human than the residents believe."

"Who knows," Tamrat shook his head.

No sooner than the words had left his mouth, the door to Felix's office finally opened. A man stumbled out of it, quickly standing straight and dusting himself off, closing the door after himself and greeting the assembled group with a smile. He was an older man, with black hair peppered with white streaks styled in a pompadour, thinning out underneath on the sides of his forehead. He had a moustache that looked more like whiskers than anything, and his eyes were squinted in a way that made them look shut, but they were just open enough to see brown eyes behind thick eyelashes. He wore a white dress shirt underneath a brown suit top, and a black belt with a golden buckle kept his dark blue jeans that seemed a size too big around his waist. His shoes were both open toed and open heeled, but covered the rest of his feet and were held in place by a strap that wrapped around his ankles. Oddly enough, his finger and toenails were painted black.

"Hello, hello!" he greeted with a large grin, lifting his hand to rest it on the wall so he could lean against it, only to miss the wall completely and fall over onto the ground. Layton moved over and helped him to his feet, and the man shot a thank-you smile at him before continuing. "Welcome to Felix Fortel's Fantastic Emporium! _For lack of a fancy word for Store that starts with F."_ The subtitle was spoken quickly, almost like a disclaimer. "My name is Felix. What can I do for you?"

"Hello, Felix," Layton smiled. "My name is-"

"They're here to investigate on behalf of the mayor," Tamrat interrupted. "That's Hershel, the tall woman is Robin, the kids are Luke and Flora, and the reindeer is-"

"Horny, right?" Felix put in, and when no one said anything his smile fell. "Is that not his name?"

"His name is Chopper," Flora spoke with a sigh. "Should we just put a collar on him with his name? Maybe then people would stop getting it wrong."

"Somehow I don't think that would help," Luke shook his head as Chopper's head drooped down in depression.

"Right, right!" Felix clapped his hands together. "What do you know already?"

As Layton and Robin explained to Felix what they already knew, he nodded along carefully to make sure they knew he was following along. Once they finished, he shook his head. "Unfortunately, I don't believe that I can give you any new information. Michi's been stopping in to ask me for food, yeah, but I can only really give her stuff that's about to go bad and has to be tossed anyway," he seemed a bit upset about that, but continued anyway, "And she doesn't ask for anything else. Which is _weird_ , because I keep noticing seemingly random things have been going missing."

"Seemingly random? How so?" Flora asked, and Felix smiled at her.

"Well, there's no real connection between the things," he elaborated. "One time it was paper and pencils, another time it was a snow globe, another time still it was a shirt, the time after that it was soap…" Felix rubbed his forehead. "There's no real connection between the objects. The only thing they have in common is that they're usually in places that are easy to spot."

"Easy to spot?" Luke asked, using a tone that indicated he wanted more information on that particular bit of information.

"Well, yeah," Felix shrugged. "Stuff on the edges of the aisle, or that was in a location you could see by just walking down the center aisle and looking around. Distance from the ground doesn't seem to deter whoever's taking the stuff, but they haven't taken anything particularly valuable, at least."

Layton nodded in understanding. "Say, this might seem like an odd question, but by any chance do people lock their doors around here?"

Felix hummed in consideration. "Well, usually. Most people tend to, anyway. I'm kind of bad about it because I can never seem to find my keys and I spend most of my time here _anyway_ , and the hospital's always open so the doors there are never locked, but – I dunno, people can get a bit lazy when the gates are closed to keep people from coming in. Everyone knows everyone around here, it'd be pretty hard to take things without someone figuring out who's taking it pretty quick."

"Since you say that, do you believe it's someone who doesn't live around here?" Robin asked.

"Well…" Felix frowned. "I didn't say that. If it were someone from outside, they'd have to come back pretty often to keep hitting the place, and we'd notice that someone was coming and going so often." He scratched behind his head. "I mean, we all know each other around here – so while it'd be hard to do things without someone noticing, it'd also be easy to do so if you knew exactly how to avoid people. Someone like Nephele or Hanuel who have lived here longest would probably be the best bet in that regard."

"Pyrrhos mentioned them," Luke recalled. "He said they watch the Graveyard, and they had an encounter with the Specter."

Felix nodded at Luke. "They're kind of reclusive, so we don't know much about them – but they might know a lot about us. Who knows."

Tamrat cleared his throat. "Still, I don't think I'd immediately blame them for what's been going on. Don't think they have any sort of motive. You need one of those to do things, right?"

"Yes, that you do," Layton acknowledged with a curious smile. "I think perhaps we should see what this 'Nephele' and 'Hanuel' have to say about everything that's been happening here in Old Ashton."

* * *

 **PUZZLES SOLVED – SIX**

 **CURRENT MYSTERIES:**

 **The White Specter –** Several residents of Old Ashton have reportedly seen a mysterious white specter. It only comes out between dusk and dawn, and it seems to enjoy music. Pyrrhos reports that it has footprints, meaning that it might not be as ghostly as the residents first assumed, and it has apparently had an encounter with two residents of Old Ashton known as Nephele and Hanuel. It seems to have an affinity for music.

 **Missing Food** – According to Aimi, food that is about to go off has been going missing. There may be some connection to Michi in regards to this, but the residents find it unlikely that she would steal anything. Felix admits to having given Michi food that's about to go off, but is hesitant to link her to anything else.

 **Missing Supplies** – According to Aimi, some supplies from the hospital and the general store have gone missing. Zdeslav and Tzidkiyahu report that two sets of footprints – one sandaled and one barefoot – have been found in the vicinity of the store. Tamrat believes that a skilled doctor is behind the thefts at the hospital, and Felix says that there's no real link when it comes to things that are stolen from the store aside from them being easy to spot.

 **Robin Nico** – A woman with an air of mystery around herself who is working as the Professor's assistant. She has experience working with children and is very good at moving silently and quickly despite her footwear of choice being high heels. She also seems very comfortable around Chopper, to the point that they act as if they're close friends despite having just met.

 **Michi** – Mayor Senkou's daughter, whom he notes has been growing more distant lately, as if she's hiding something, although he's not sure what or why. Silo suspects an animal, as she's been requesting leftover food from him and Felix at the general store. The residents don't seem to believe she's behind the other thefts, though, as she's only been asking after food.

 **Nephele and Hanuel** – Two mysterious residents of Old Ashton who have apparently lived there longer than the other residents. Pyrrhos claims that they've had an encounter with the specter. They are apparently rather reclusive, to the point that some of the town's residents find them suspicious.


	6. Chapter Six - Grave Consequences

**Ink's Notes:** _DID SOMEBODY SAY AIR?_ No, I said "it's time to update this story you fluffing slacker—"

Hooo boy, this is a _long_ one! Our mystery list just keeps on expanding as things begin unraveling. Unravelling? Words and spelling. OK, I just googled it, _why are both spellings right **THIS IS UNIMPORTANT LET'S JUST GET TO THE CHAPTER NOW**_

Chapter Six – Grave Consequences

The sun had set and the moon and stars shone in the night sky, which almost seemed to have come about as Professor Layton and his comrades walked out of Felix Fortel's Fantastic Emporium _(For lack of a fancy word for Store that starts with F)._ Professor Layton adjusted his hat, nudging it back just a smidgeon to allow himself to take in the night sky.

"There's so many stars out!" Flora exclaimed, gazing up at the night sky in wonder.

"Of course," Robin smiled, placing a hand on Flora's shoulder. "In places where there isn't much artificial light, you can see more stars than you'd normally be able to."

Chopper snorted through his nose with a noise that sounded sort of like impatience, and Luke turned to look at the reindeer, nodding a few times in response to the unspoken words before turning to face the Professor. "Chopper says we should hurry and check out the graveyard. He's worried we might miss the specter if we stand around for too long." Chopper nodded to confirm the translation, although he looked to be nervous for some reason. His expression was not missed by Luke, who turned back to look at him with concern. "It's okay if you don't want to come with us. I understand if you're scared." Chopper visibly bristled, then shook himself out and stomped on the ground a few times, standing as straight as he could manage. "Are you sure?" The reindeer nodded. "If you say so."

Luke turned his focus back to the group as Layton offered a friendly smile to Chopper. "It seems our animal friend is a bit apprehensive about the situation," he observed. "Luke, can you stick close to him? I think he would feel better if you did."

Luke nodded, adjusting his hat. "Leave it to me, Professor!" he declared, grinning at Chopper. The reindeer nodded to him in response and began walking in a direction that the group hadn't ventured towards just yet. Not to be left behind, Luke and Flora hurried along after him, followed in short order by Layton and Robin.

The walk didn't take very long with Chopper leading the way, and the party arrived at Old Ashton's graveyard without any incident. The graveyard was eerily quiet compared to the quiet hum of the city proper, despite its relatively small size. Chopper nuzzled his nose against Luke's ear, telling him that in the distance he heard the sound of running water, and it didn't take long for Luke to realize that it was probably the river that he'd rescued Pyrrhos from the day before. To the side of the graveyard, near the entrance but not necessarily in the way of anything, stood a small building that looked a bit ramshackle and worn down – the kind of building that most people would associate with a haunted house.

So it was perfectly understandable that Luke, Flora, and Chopper all bristled and yelped in surprise when Robin calmly walked over to the door of the building, raising her hand to knock. When she hesitated, then folded her arms across her chest in a contemplative stance, Layton approached her position, and after a moment of debating if they wanted to be left outside, alone, in a graveyard, Luke, Flora, and Chopper carefully followed.

"Is something the matter?" Professor Layton asked Robin, and she motioned for him to be quiet. After a few moments, the group heard what sounded like some sort of hissing noise, followed by a soft, male voice that was barely audible from their position.

The Professor frowned, and was about to knock when Robin simply reached down, gripping the doorknob to turn it, opening the door for them and stepping inside, motioning for the others to enter after her. Chopper entered after a moment's hesitation, followed by Luke and Flora, and Professor Layton after them, looking somewhat uneasy from entering a house without permission. Robin closed the door after them, and they traced the sound that they'd heard earlier to a small living room which was currently occupied by two people.

The first of the two was a pale-skinned woman, who looked as if she rarely went out during the day. Long black hair framed her delicate face, two bangs – one on either side of her head – reaching down to her chin, while the rest of her hair was draped over the side of the chair she was seated in, looking as if it could easily pass her butt. She looked as if she were dressed for a funeral, wearing a solemn black dress with long sleeves that were so long that the fabric had been specially cut so that it covered her index fingers but not the rest of them. Black heels matched her hair, and her eyes were so dark and dull that they looked almost dead.

The second of the two was a dark-skinned man, who – despite his skin tone – also looked as if he hardly ever went outside. His hair was short and oily, as black as hers was, and he dressed in a white, three-piece suit with a red tie. Despite the formal attire, he was not wearing any shoes, and his eyes looked to be as dead as the woman's were. His attention was currently focused on the woman – or, more specifically, her arm – as he worked on carefully disinfecting a wound on her forearm. Each time he dabbed it with a cotton swab, the woman let out a hiss of pain, eyes shutting in a wince, and he attempted to soothe her with soft words to take her focus off of the pain. It took some time before he decided he'd apparently done all that he could do, and he took a few moments to carefully wrap a bandage around the woman's arm, tying it tightly, then placing the tools he'd been using on a small, silver tray that rested on a table beside them.

Content that the man was finished treating the woman's wound, Robin knocked on the wall next to the doorway which the group was currently standing in. The man jumped in surprise, immediately grabbing a scalpel from the tray of medical supplies and pointing it at the five of them, only lowering it when he noticed Luke and Flora among them.

"Pardon the intrusion," Robin apologized, tipping the sunglasses atop her head slightly like one would tip a hat. "My name is Robin Nico, and this is Professor Layton, his apprentice Luke, his daughter Flora, and–"

"We've met Horny," the man curtly interrupted her, leveling an icy glare in her direction.

"His name is Chopper," Robin calmly corrected him, polite smile not leaving her face and her tone of voice remaining completely neutral.

"Right," he flatly responded, his tone indicating that he didn't particularly care about the new information at all. Despite the harshness in his tone and words, his voice was soft, as if he didn't use it very often. Robin maintained her calm smile, Layton doing the same, while Luke and Flora stood in front of Chopper protectively. When it became apparent that none of the five had any intention of saying anything further, the man frowned and continued speaking, looking past them for a moment. "What are you even doing here? I could have _sworn_ I locked the front door."

"It was unlocked when we arrived," Flora frowned, gently gripping Chopper's fur and leaning into him, shying away from the man.

"You'll have to forgive me if I don't immediately believe the words of someone who's apparently broken into my _house_ ," he flatly said, eyelids lowering as he leveled a deadpan stare at Flora, though none of the outright malice that he'd been directing at Robin and Layton was in his gaze.

The woman reached forward with the arm that wasn't bandaged, tugging gently on the man's sleeve. "Perhaps… we should hear them out?" she asked, her voice soft and somewhat hoarse, the pause in her sentence seeming to indicate that she was carefully formulating her sentences before she said them. It seemed likely that she didn't really speak that often, either.

The man turned his gaze to look at the woman, his features softening slightly. "Neph, I'm not about to trust people who just randomly walk into peoples' houses, even if they are boss-man's friends," he frowned, although he did set the scalpel back onto the tray that he'd picked it up from in an apparent act of civility.

"Let's at least... hear them out," she smiled sweetly at the group, moving her arm in a sweeping motion to tell them to take a seat. After a moment of hesitation, the group accepted her request, awkwardly sitting on the furniture that she had motioned to.

"Thank you for your hospitality, miss," Layton smiled at her.

"There is... no need for such formalities," the woman gently tilted her head to the side, her bangs moving on her face as she did so. "My name is Nephele, and this is my partner, Hanuel. You are… Mayor Canera's friends, yes?"

"We are indeed, ma'am!" Luke smiled brightly at her. "We're here in Old Ashton on his request to investigate the specter, and we were wondering if you had any information."

"Oh? Is that why you're here?" Nephele straightened her head slowly as Hanuel picked up the tray, set it down where it would be out of the way, and moved back over to take a seat next to her. "In that case, kindly leave the property and **_don't come back._** " The tone shifted from polite to malicious so suddenly that even Professor Layton flinched and withdrew an inch from the sudden shift. Her friendly smile had become a menacing glare so quickly that Luke and Flora were now gripping each others' hands for comfort in apparent terror. "It is not something that we require assistance with, nor is it something that someone such as yourself would be able to handle."

"What makes you say that?" Robin asked, leaning forward, a sort of morbid curiosity in her voice.

"Hmm, let me think," Hanuel hummed, folding one leg over the other as he crossed his arms. "Maybe it's to do with _who do you think you are_ and _this is our town_ , or maybe it's more along the lines of, _seriously what is your problem_ and _what could you possibly figure out that we don't already know_?"

"…You're being awfully rude," Flora frowned, clutching her dress in her free hand.

"You'll have to forgive me if I don't exactly leap at the opportunity to help someone who _walks into peoples' houses without permission,_ **especially** when I _know_ that I locked the door, which means that you somehow broke into the building." Hanuel seemed to be particularly bitter about that.

Layton looked over at Robin, who shrugged her shoulders. "When I turned the handle, it was unlocked," she explained. Chopper stared blankly at her, and she sighed in apparent self-admonishment. "Though, I suppose it was rude of us to enter without knocking."

"Damn straight it was," Hanuel grumbled, then stood up and stretched his arms above his head. "Neph, I'm going out."

"Mm?" Nephele looked over at her partner, her prior malice apparently forgotten. "All right, be careful." She smiled at him as he walked out of the room, waiting until she heard the sounds of the front door opening and closing before she turned her attention to the people before her. "I must sincerely apologize," she said, "But I don't believe that I can host you for any longer."

"Are you sure?" Luke asked, trying to press the woman who at least seemed _somewhat_ willing to give them information.. "Surely there's something that you can tell us."

"There is nothing I can tell you that is not already known," Nephele frowned, her eyes flattening into a glare that she directed at the group. "Now, kindly leave, before I lose my patience."

Professor Layton met her gaze silently, holding it for a moment before he let out a sigh and stood up. "Thank you for your assistance and hospitality, Miss Nephele. We're sorry to have bothered you." He motioned for the rest of the group to come along, and they stood up to follow him out. "If you change your mind, do let us know?"

"I'm sure that I won't," she calmly responded, glare gone and replaced with an almost haughty expression. "You should return to the inn. It's gotten rather late."

Layton simply nodded in response, allowing Chopper, Luke, Robin, and Flora to exit before him, before casting one last long glance at Nephele and walking out of the room. The party retraced their steps to the front door, exiting the building and walking out into the graveyard, where an odd fog seemed to have rolled in.

"I don't like them," Luke frowned, crossing his arms. "I think they're suspicious." Chopper nodded twice, as if to agree with his statement.

"Now, now, Luke. We can't go accusing people without any evidence," Layton smiled at his apprentice. "They may have been rude, but that's no reason to suspect them of anything."

 _Yo-hohoho, yohohoho…_

Flora blinked a few times, then glanced up and around as Luke turned back to look at Layton. "How do you mean, Professor?" he asked.

"Well, we _did_ enter their house without permission," Layton pointed out, lifting a hand to his hat. "They had every right to be upset with us, even if we did only want to help."

"I think it was awfully suspicious how they immediately dodged the subject and told us to leave when we brought up the specter, though," Luke frowned, unfolding his arms. "And Nephele didn't say she didn't know anything, she said that there was 'nothing they could tell us that wasn't already known'. What did she mean by that?"

"Perhaps it was simply her way of saying they don't know any more than the townspeople?" Layton offered, though the smile on his face said that he might have another idea why she would say that.

 _Yo-hohoho, yohohoho…_

"Um, Professor?" Flora spoke up, attracting the attention of the others. "Do you… hear that?" The other four blinked, then quieted down to try and listen to whatever it was that Flora was hearing.

 _Gather up all of the crew, it's time to ship out Binks' brew.  
_ _Sea wind blows, to where, who knows? The waves will be our guide…  
_ _O'er across the ocean's tide. Rays of sunshine far and wide.  
_ _Birds they sing, of cheerful things, in circles passing by._

"Singing!" Luke exclaimed, his expression lighting up as he looked around. "Professor, the specter must be nearby!"

"It sounds like it," Layton nodded in agreement, a small smile on his face. "Shall we see if we can find it?"

"Perhaps we should split up to cover more ground," Robin suggested, moving her gaze around as if trying to decide which way to go. "Flora, why don't you come with me? Layton, you take Luke and Chopper." Flora moved over to Robin, clenching her hand tightly. "If we don't find anything by the time the singing stops, let's all meet up here again."

"That sounds like a plan," Layton said with a short nod. "Then, let's be off." With those words, each group took off in a different direction at a mild running pace, being careful not to trip in the dark and the fog, but moving quickly enough that they might be able to catch the specter – even if it was just a glimpse of it.

 ** _PUZZLE SEVEN_**

 _The specter is somewhere nearby! Maneuver your way through the graveyard to try and track it down. The music will get louder as you get closer to it, but be careful – if you move too haphazardly, the specter might run away before you can catch it!_

Luke, Layton, and Chopper kept a steady pace as they carefully maneuvered around gravestones, being careful not to disturb any offerings or natural formations as they did, following the music that carried throughout the otherwise quiet air.

 _Bid farewell to weaver's town, say so long to port renowned.  
_ _Sing a song, it won't be long, before we're casting off.  
_ _Cross the gold and silver seas, a salty spray puts us at ease,  
_ _Day and night, to our delight, the voyage never ends._

"Is this some sort of a sailor's song?" Luke asked Layton between breaths as they ran, only taking a moment to spare him a glance as he scanned their surroundings.

"I'm not certain," Layton admitted, a hand moving to his hat to make sure that it was firmly in place. "It's not a melody that I've heard before, although the lyrics seem to indicate as much."

Chopper suddenly pulled to a halt, prompting the boys to do so as well. He lifted his head suddenly, his ears twitching as he turned to look out into the distance. The music itself seemed to have suddenly stopped as well, and Luke felt a sudden pit of dread begin to form in his gut. As he opened his mouth to ask Chopper what was wrong, a scream pierced the air – one that all three of them recognized.

"Flora!" Luke and Layton exclaimed, abandoning all premise of searching for the specter as they darted over towards where the sound had come from. Even in their haste, they were careful to be certain they didn't trip on or trample over anything, and before long they arrived at where Robin and Flora were.

Robin was crouched carefully on the ground, one knee on the dirt and the other raised to support Flora, who looked pale and seemed to have passed out. Robin was holding the girl in her arms, and only took her eyes off of her when Luke, Layton, and Chopper arrived on scene. Layton's fatherly instincts took over and he moved over to Flora's side, nudging her gently, eliciting a soft groan in response. Flora's eyes gently fluttered open, and Layton took over supporting his foster daughter, gently brushing her hair off of her face.

"…Dad…?" she softly asked, voice soft and delicate from having just awoken, her gaze drifting over to look at her father.

"I'm here, Flora. Are you all right?" he carefully asked, not wanting to stress her too much after what he suspected had happened.

"I… we saw the specter," she shivered, gripping her arms from the apparent cold, and confirming Layton's suspicions. "But… I didn't get a good look… I don't remember what it looked like… Robin and I were moving around, and I turned around, and I just remember seeing white, and then…"

Layton looked over at Robin, who shook her head sadly. "I turned around when she screamed, but whatever was there was either already gone or in the process of making itself scarce. I felt it would be best for me to stay with Flora to ensure no harm came to her, so I didn't make chase."

Chopper moved over and gently nuzzled Flora, and the two adults carefully lifted her and placed her on the reindeer's back. "I think we've done enough investigating for the evening," Layton said, letting out a long breath as he did so. "Let's head back to the inn. We've had a long day."

* * *

 **PUZZLES SOLVED – SEVEN**

 **CURRENT MYSTERIES:**

 **The White Specter –** Several residents of Old Ashton have reportedly seen a mysterious white specter. It only comes out between dusk and dawn. Pyrrhos reports that it has footprints, meaning that it might not be as ghostly as the residents first assumed, and it has apparently had an encounter with two residents of Old Ashton known as Nephele and Hanuel. It seems to have an affinity for music, as following the sound of what seemed to be some sort of sailor song led Robin and Flora to have an encounter with it.

 **Missing Food** – According to Aimi, food that is about to go off has been going missing. There may be some connection to Michi in regards to this, but the residents find it unlikely that she would steal anything. Felix admits to having given Michi food that's about to go off, but is hesitant to link her to anything else.

 **Missing Supplies** – According to Aimi, some supplies from the hospital and the general store have gone missing. Zdeslav and Tzidkiyahu report that two sets of footprints – one sandaled and one barefoot – have been found in the vicinity of the store. Tamrat believes that a skilled doctor is behind the thefts at the hospital, and Felix says that there's no real link when it comes to things that are stolen from the store aside from them being easy to spot.

 **Robin Nico** – A woman with an air of mystery around herself who is working as the Professor's assistant. She has experience working with children and is very good at moving silently and quickly despite her footwear of choice being high heels. She also seems very comfortable around Chopper, to the point that they act as if they're close friends despite having just met.

 **Michi** – Mayor Senkou's daughter, whom he notes has been growing more distant lately, as if she's hiding something, although he's not sure what or why. Silo suspects an animal, as she's been requesting leftover food from him and Felix at the general store. The residents don't seem to believe she's behind the other thefts, though, as she's only been asking after food.

 **Nephele and Hanuel** – Two mysterious residents of Old Ashton who have apparently lived there longer than the other residents. Pyrrhos claims that they've had an encounter with the specter. They are apparently rather reclusive, to the point that some of the town's residents find them suspicious. The two were initially friendly, if somewhat irritated, but when the specter came up they immediately started acting hostile.


End file.
